Category Archives: Church Year

A New Creation

new life

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Though I have read this very many times, I have noticed something different this time around. There is a certainty, a sureness, a definitiveness to it. It is a given that newness comes with those who are in Christ. We can count on it. We can be confident that we are being renewed day by day through our Lord and Savior.

The turning of the calendar to a new year does not necessarily dictate or determine a fresh start. But being in Christ assures us of it. Forgiven and freed through the death and resurrection of Christ and through the cleansing waters of Baptism, we are made new each morning to live our lives in and through Christ, to become more and more like him.

So don’t give up. God always gives us another chance. So in essence, every day is like New Year’s Day in the kingdom of God.

Biography

biography

Today is the very last day of the church year. It also happens to land on the last day of November this year, which seems appropriate. Tomorrow is the First Sunday of Advent and the first day of the new church year. It also works out well this year that the first day of the new church year is the first day of December.

So take some time today to contemplate the meaning of the church year. It is, in a nutshell, a year-long biography of sorts of the life of Christ, and who doesn’t like a good biography? We begin with the events surrounding the birth of Christ as the Son of God (the seasons of Advent and Christmas), we follow the ministry moments in the life of Christ as he spreads the Good News of the Kingdom of God (Epiphany and Lent seasons), we ponder the Passion, death and resurrection of our Lord for our salvation (Holy Week and the Easter season), and we consider how Christ is with us in our hearts now that he has ascended into heaven (Pentecost season). But the story isn’t finished. We wait for the final chapter: Christ’s return on the Last Day to take us to heaven to be with him. There we will live happily ever after. So keep telling and retelling Christ’s biography throughout the coming church year to yourself and to others. You’ll be glad you did.

Exercise?

exercise

Several days into the New Year, without fail, gyms, rec centers and fitness classes are filled with people. Exercise is #1 on almost every person’s New Year’s resolutions list. And all establishments that cater to exercise reap the benefits, at least at this time of year.

Then in a few months, the number of visitors and attendees will begin to trail off, like clock work. We are a fickle people and a people who don‘t keep up with their promises on things like this that take extra work and more pain and added time to our days.

Thank God that he is not like that with us. He commits to us and sticks with us and continues to exercise his role in our lives from day to day and year to year. He will never get tired or weary of us. He will not back out of a relationship with us because it is painful or more work or takes a lot of time. He loves us regardless of how we look or what we have done. He loves us because we belong to him and we are his own. Our membership in his family will never run out.

Truly Wise

wise men

Coming 12 days after Christmas, Epiphany is the official day in the church year when we celebrate the arrival of the Wise Men to the place where Jesus was. We call them Wise Men because that is how the Bible defines them. It is assumed that they are called wise because they presumably studied astronomy and knew of the location and movements of a star that was quite unusual and that was related to the birth of a king.

But the Wise Men proved to be very wise on their trip as well. They went to Herod‘s palace to get information from Scripture about a newborn king. They listened to what the Scriptures said and went to the town of Bethlehem. After they saw Jesus, the Wise Men, prompted by a dream, were wise in not returning to King Herod, who did not have good things in mind for Jesus.

The Wise Men were most wise of all when they met Jesus face to face. They bowed before him. They worshiped him. They gave him extravagant gifts that told the world that this was a very special King.

What can we learn from these Wise Men? It is wise for us, too, to go to Scripture for answers. It is wise to know and honor the right King, Jesus. And it is wise to give our King Jesus the very best of our gifts of precious time, special talents and treasured possessions. Be like the Wise Men in every way you can today.